Chapter 173: Too Low-Level

“The Five Great Sects, hiding away, where do you place the lives of the common people?”

“Old Master Fan, the Sage of Qingjiang, ordered you to go out and slay demons. How dare you refuse?”

“Look at Shoushan Sect, full of loyalty and righteousness, how noble!”

“Shoushan Sect is good. What’s the use of those Five Great Sects?”

“…”

When the Five Great Sects’ Elders appeared, the surrounding common people showed a little awe. After all, the fame of the Qi Refiners was deeply ingrained, and ordinary people knew they couldn’t afford to provoke them. But as the two Shoushan Sect Elders fired back, mocking the Five Great Sects’ Elders until they stood there shamefully speechless, the courage of the surrounding populace surged alongside their rising anger.

Especially since they had the Shoushan Sect Elders at the front shielding them and Old Master Fan backing them from the rear, their courage grew bolder and bolder.

As their courage increased and their momentum strengthened, the momentum of the Five Great Sects’ Elders conversely weakened. The anger they initially felt upon appearing strangely dissipated, leaving only a growing sense of dread in their hearts…

“What exactly is Shoushan Sect doing?”

“Those two old fogies who usually only dare to hide inside Shoushan Sect, never showing their faces, how are they so bold now?”

In that instant, countless suspicions and feelings of humiliation welled up in their hearts.

They wanted to explain, but the crowd was furious; how could they explain?

They wanted to strike back, yet in front of so many people, they simply didn’t dare…

This wasn’t about hitting people anymore; it was like declaring war on the entire populace of Qingjiang City…

At that moment, they just felt utterly malicious!

Too malicious!

Was Shoushan Sect not only trying to grab a good reputation for themselves but also dragging the Five Great Sects down with them?

…

“Sigh, this time… it’s troublesome…”

Inside the Dharma Ship, Young Sect Master Xu sighed repeatedly. Though the two Elders outside the ship seemed to have won the verbal battle, judging by the Five Great Sects’ attitude, they must hold a deep grudge against Shoushan Sect now. How big was this feud going to be?

What was Elder Fang aiming for…?

He couldn’t help but glance back at Fang Cun, but didn’t dare ask outright.

The goal of the Six Great Sects was to jointly kill the Demon Hound and divide the Merit bestowed by the County Mansion afterward. As for Young Sect Master Xu, his objective was clearer. The best outcome he envisioned for Shoushan Sect was to simply get an equal share of the Merit when dividing it among the other Five Great Sects, laying a good foundation for Shoushan Sect to re-enter the ranks of the Six Sects…

But Fang Cun’s current actions had effectively excluded Shoushan Sect from the Six Sects.

Just what was he intending to do?

“The Sect Leader is an honest man, not too familiar with these tactics!” Fang Cun saw his troubled expression and simply smiled. “Just sit back and watch. The Demon Hound must be slain, and Shoushan Sect will claim the Merit. If we seize sufficient Merit and prestige in one fell swoop, what problem would there be for Shoushan Sect to rejoin the Six Sects?”

“Perhaps not just rejoin the Six Sects, but leap back to the top…”

Young Sect Master Xu’s eyebrows twitched upon hearing this. Second Young Master Fang’s words were always so pleasing, but the problem was… it wasn’t very practical!

“Never mind the troubles to come. Right now, our Shoushan Sect has the upper hand in momentum, but that’s only borrowed authority from Old Master Fan. And that old gentleman is no easy man to deal with; why would he just hand such a great advantage to our Shoushan Sect for nothing?”

“Don’t worry, he absolutely will!”

“…”

“Heh heh, I could hear you arguing from afar…”

Just as Young Sect Master Xu inside the Dharma Ship was full of worries, and outside, the two Shuoshou Sect Elders spoke eloquently—joined by the common people in shouting down the Five Sects’ Elders, whose eyes were twitching furiously and who were itching to strike out—a hearty laugh came from the southern sky. A cloud of auspicious mist drifted leisurely forward, arriving over the city and slowly dispersing. Standing upon it were none other than Old Master Fan and his elderly servant.

“Shua!”

Seeing Old Master Fan, the Five Great Sects’ Elders couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. The person in charge had finally arrived.

The people throughout the city were overjoyed, kowtowing from afar towards Old Master Fan in reverence.

Even Shoushan Sect’s two great shouters… the two Elders… quickly shut their mouths.

They exchanged a glance, as if silently conferring.

“A timely arrival, Old Master Fan! Our Six Sects joined hands intending to slay the Demon Hound. Little did we expect trouble to arise before we even set out…”

Elder Xiu, from the Leshui Sect, looked utterly helpless as he stepped forward, cupping his hands in salute, begging Old Master Fan to uphold justice.

“Heh heh, I just heard of it, hence my hasty arrival…” Old Master Fan smiled with a warmth that didn’t diminish his authority, his gaze shifting towards the others.

At this moment, feeling the countless eyes upon him, he experienced an unprecedented surge of delight deep in his heart. The Five Great Sects, who previously treated him politely to his face but had their own private calculations behind his back, now looked at him as if he were their savior. The people of Qingjiang City, who already revered him as a saint, seemed to have elevated their gratitude and worship yet another step.

Perfect timing…

Old Master Fan now had the feeling that the entire Qingjiang Prefecture was united behind him, that he alone held sway.

Then his smile grew even warmer as he regarded the Elders of the Five Great Sects, all looking at him with hope, as if they were his own nephews. He naturally had his own considerations and prepared to admonish them gently, urging them to obey obediently…

Then…

“Our great Sage of Qingjiang Prefecture has finally arrived…”

Before Old Master Fan could utter a word, a sorrowful sigh came from his side. The two Shoushan Sect Elders flanked him, one looking down at the people below and shouting joyfully, “Fathers and elders of the common folk! Our living saint is here! Someone will uphold justice for us!”

The other, with a solemn face, addressed Old Master Fan: “Judge for us, Elder! Wasn’t it right for our Shoushan Sect to call upon the Five Sects to venture out and slay the Demon?”

“This…”

Old Master Fan was momentarily taken aback! Why did he vaguely feel this wasn’t going as he imagined?

“We beg Old Master Fan to uphold justice…”

“Who in all of greater Qingjiang is more fair and impartial than Old Master Fan?”

Spurred on by the words of the Shoushan Sect Elders, the common folk, already overjoyed at the sight of Old Master Fan, instantly grew agitated until the entire city seemed like a boiling pot. Before Old Master Fan arrived, they were furious upon hearing that the Five Great Sects dared disobey his command to go out and slay demons. Now that they saw him, how could they suppress that rage?

“Good, good…”

Faced with this wave of cheers, a smile Old Master Fan couldn’t suppress spread across his face. He gently waved his hand, motioning for quiet in all directions:

“Good people, rest assured. As long as this old man stands in Qingjiang, justice will be upheld for you…”

Elder Ge of the Nine Immortals Sect suddenly felt things were heading in a bad direction. His expression changed drastically. He snorted coldly, his gaze turning sharp as it fixed on the two Shoushan Sect Elders. He shouted sternly: “Old Master Fan is here now! Cease this pointless talk! Do you really think the common folk don’t understand, or are you Shoushan Sect playing dumb…?”

Amidst his surging Qi aura, he prepared to expose Shoushan Sect’s sinister plot outright.

However, despite his intimidating aura, the two Shoushan Sect Elders paid him no mind. They both roared simultaneously: “Shut up!”

Elder Ge was stunned. Why didn’t it work?

Elder Green Pine roared fiercely: “You say they don’t understand? What don’t they understand?”

Elder Cold Stone roared down at the populace: “Fathers and elders! Demons harm people; Qi Refiners slay demons! Do you understand?”

From below came a thunderous cry: “We understand!”

Elder Green Pine demanded coldly and severely: “Our Shoushan Sect only knows that slaying demons and eliminating monsters is the righteous way! Is that pointless?”

Elder Cold Stone roared toward the people below: “Fathers and elders! We, Shoushan Sect, only wish to slay demons and vanquish monsters! Is that right?”

The crowd roared back like a tidal wave: “RIGHT!”

Elder Green Pine, carrying immense momentum, positively radiating righteousness, took a heavy step forward, directly confronting the Five Sects’ Elders and bellowing: “Enough idle talk and nonsense! Today, this old man simply asks you: The demons infesting Crow Mountain – will you deal with them, or not?”

Elder Ge of the Nine Immortals Sect was momentarily speechless. Faced with the boundless anger of the vast populace below, how could he answer?

Instinctively, his gaze shifted to Old Master Fan.

But before Old Master Fan could speak, Elder Cold Stone had already positioned himself beside the old master. He swept his gaze across the Five Great Sects’ Elders and bellowed sternly: “Slaying demons, protecting the populace! That is Old Master Fan’s sole wish! Three days ago, he ordered our Six Great Sects to swiftly eliminate that Demon Hound and no longer allow the people to suffer! You elders of the Five Sects – do you heed his command, or not?”

The expressions of the Five Sects’ Elders twisted with barely contained frustration. Who dared say no to that?

Elder Green Pine and Elder Cold Stone both stepped forward, placing themselves even in front of Old Master Fan. Their expressions were fierce, their voices thunderous and stern:

“In that case! Today, we represent the people of Willow Lake City and ask you, the Five Great Sects, this directly!”

“Today! Our Shoushan Sect will go to Crow Mountain and slay that band of demons, for the sake of our people here in Qingjiang Prefecture!”

“You Five Great Sects – will you join us, or not?”

“…”

“Hua…!”

As the two Shoushan Sect Elders pressed forward relentlessly with their harsh words, the Five Sects’ Elders felt as if they were being pushed to the edge of a cliff.

The countless gazes of the people below and the look of indignant fury on their faces now seemed like a sea of rage. If they said no, it felt like they would immediately plummet into that raging sea and be completely engulfed. They were Qi Refiners of great power, capable of soaring through the skies and traversing the earth, yet now they truly felt an unprecedented pressure…

Facing those questions, they found they lacked even a shred of the courage to say “No”.

Instinctively, they could only look to the most respected figure there, the newly arrived and highly eminent Old Master Fan.

And then they saw that this Old Master Fan also seemed to hesitate for a moment. It was as if something else had been weighing on his mind, but beneath the countless gazes of the Qingjiang City populace, he instinctively adopted a smile. He looked towards the surrounding people and spoke loudly, his voice carrying authority: “This old man has long said it! Slaying demons and eliminating monsters – not a single day can be wasted!”

“Hua…!”

The surrounding populace froze for half a breath. Then, with a roar, an endless wave of cheers erupted.

…

Inside the Dharma Ship, Young Sect Master Xu was utterly astonished, his gaze filled with surprise as he looked at Fang Cun.

Fang Cun turned his head to meet his gaze and smiled softly. “I told you, this old gentleman is still too low-level!”